The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

As Kobe Bryant once said, “There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.”
That’s why the Learning Leader Show exists—to get together and understand the journeys of successful leaders, so that we can better understand our own.
This show is full of stories told by world-class leaders. Personal stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Our guests come from diverse backgrounds—some are best-selling authors, others are genius entrepreneurs, and one even made a million dollars wearing t-shirts for a year. My role in this endeavor is to talk to the smartest, most creative, always-learning leaders in the world so that we can learn from them as we each create our own journeys.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk. Episode 248: Colin Nanka Colin Nanka is the Senior Director, Enablement for North American Sales and Leadership Development at the world’s leading Customer Relationship Management Company, Salesforce.com. He is a proven sales leader with over 20 years of sales experience including time at Salesforce and Xerox Corporation. In his spare time, he competes in multi-day, self sustained, adventure races in the world’s most treacherous terrains, including the Sahara Desert, Gobi Desert, Iceland, Grand Canyon, Atacama Desert and, most recently, in Antarctica.

This was recorded in front of a LIVE audience in Columbus, Ohio. My teammates at Brixey & Meyer had the original idea for a live event and collectively we put together an amazing evening with more than 100 invited guests. It was incredible! The room was full on engaged leaders. I loved the energy! I'm already looking forward to the next one.

James Clear studies successful people across a wide range of disciplines — entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, and more — to uncover the habits and routines that make these people the best at what they do. Then, I share what I learn in my popular email newsletter.

His work has been covered by dozens of major media outlets including The New York Times, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, TIME Magazine, and more.

The Learning Leader Show

"A constant dose of uncertainty will help you grow your comfort zone."

Show Notes:

The aggregation of marginal gains - “The 1 percent margin for improvement in everything you do.” If you improve every area related to your life by just 1 percent, then those small gains will add up to remarkable improvement.

When you google “goal setting,” JamesClear.com comes up within the top 3 answers. James goal setting process.

Thedifference between systems and goals. Goals are useful for setting the direction. Systems are great for actually making progress.

If we are serious about achieving our goals, however, we should start with a much different question. Rather than considering what kind of success we want, we should ask, “What kind of pain do I want?

First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself.

First principles thinking is the act of boiling a process down to the fundamental parts that you know are true and building up from there.

Mindset shifts --> Reframing

Love of Travel -- Why do it? Perspective? Voluntary hardship. "You don’t know what you’re capable of if your body has never been forced to do it." (David Goggins)

"You don't know your capabilities until you're forced to do it." Put yourself in situations that forces you to do "hard things." --? Travel to Vietnam where few people speak English... Getting lost and being forced to ask for help

“A constant dose of uncertainty will help you grow your comfort zone.”

Voluntary Hardship = until you are tested, you can't develop the ability to be mentally tough or develop new skills. Put yourself in these situations regularly to grow

Successful People Start Before They Are Ready - Richard Branson story…

"Start before you're quite ready, and trust yourself to figure it out as you go." "Motivation is overvalued, environment is undervalued. Willpower doesn’t work, think about choice architecture."

“Trust the ability that you have what it takes to figure it out”

The "Goldilocks" rule - "Human beings love challenges, but only if they are within the optimal zone of difficulty."

Why you should stretch and "level up," but not too much. "It's not helpful to seriously play tennis against Roger Federer." You will be demoralized.

How to stop procrastination using the 2 minute rule -- "There is that 2 minutes around 5:30 every day where my wife and I decide... Will we go to the gym or will we sit on the couch and watch The Office all night?" -- The 2–Minute Rule works for big goals as well as small goals because of the inertia of life. Once you start doing something, it’s easier to continue doing it. I love the 2–Minute Rule because it embraces the idea that all sorts of good things happen once you get started.

“Decrease the number of steps between you and the good behaviors and increase the steps between you and the bad behaviors”

The James Clear "garden hose" analogy

Why it might be a good idea to put your TV in the closet...

Smaller habits require smaller activation energies and that makes them more sustainable. The bigger the activation energy is for your habit, the more difficult it will be to remain consistent over the long-run.

“Resistance is proportionate to the size and speed of the change, not to whether the change is a favorable or unfavorable one.”

By contrast, when you accumulate small wins and focus on one percent improvements, you nudge equilibrium forward. It is like building muscle. If the weight is too light, your muscles will atrophy. If the weight is too heavy, you'll end up injured. But if the weight is just a touch beyond your normal, then your muscles will adapt to the new stimulus and equilibrium will take a small step forward.

"Decrease the number of steps between you and the good behaviors and increase the steps between you and the bad behaviors."

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Since 2015, Benjamin Hardy has been the #1 writer on Medium.com. He is pursuing his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University. Ben's writing focuses on self-improvement, motivation, and entrepreneurship. His writing is fueled by his personal experiences, self-directed education, and formal education. Ben's work is read by millions of people every month.

Show Notes:

Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence?

They continually put themselves in situations that demand a lot of them. They put themselves in high stakes situations

They invest in themself

They create conditions for success to happen

Pianist John Burke (Grammy nominated)

He puts external pressure on himself ("I will release an album a year"). It forces him to get to work to fulfill those expectations he puts on himself

Being socially invested is a forcing function

Signing up for the race like Parker Mays -- A date on the calendar to prepare for. "If I don't prepare, I will fail miserably"

Why you should invest 10% of your income in your self

The best self improvement book Ben has ever read? Letting Go

"Willpower doesn't work." You must create the environment to be successful -- Upgrade your mindset

Self signaling - How you view yourself is not permanent. Start to alter your behavior, you start seeing yourself differently

You can shape your personality

How to upgrade yourself? -- "When you invest money, you are committed"

Pat is the founder of The Table Group and the author of 11 books (including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team)which have sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The Wall Street Journal called him "one of the most in demand speakers in America." He has addressed millions of people at conferences and events around the world over the past 15 years. Pat has written for or been featured in numerous publications including Harvard Business Review, Inc., Fortune, Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. This is the second time Pat has been a guest on The Learning Leader Show. To listen to the first conversation we had, CLICK HERE.

Prior to founding The Table Group, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase.

Show Notes:

The email he received from Miami Heat coach, Erik Spolestra, after his first appearance on The Learning Leader Show

How he helps professional sports teams

Why NFL teams focus on the wrong things when deciding who to draft

Teddy Bridgewater vs Johnny Manziel

The characteristics of a great teammate:

Humility

Hunger

Emotional Intelligence

The success of Nick Foles in The Super Bowl

The camaraderie built by coach Doug Pederson of The Philadelphia Eagles

"I'm meant to work with people..."

The origin story - How Pat started his own business... and why?

Potential to work with Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt

The biggest moment in the growth of his business? Speaking at Willowcreek Church(50,000 people watched)

Doing a "talk" instead of thinking of it as a "keynote speech" -- "I'm just talking with the audience."

Why turn leadership issues into fables?

"We don't read books, but we read yours." They are so interesting. "I keep reading your books because I want to see what happens next."

Leaders must:

Have difficult conversations -- must do the hard things

What are the biggest mistakes a new manager makes?

"You cannot avoid the discomfort"

"Being a leader is uncomfortable"

The best leaders are "pushers"

The Steve Jobs and Jony Ive story -- "You're so vain"

Keys to a great culture:

Leaders must be intentional about behaviors they want

Must be brutally intolerant if people don't do it well

How Pat helped Southwest Airlines

Codify their culture -- It had never been done before

Working with Chic-fil-a

Their CEO wasn't too big to do dishes and clear the plates

"They gave snacks for my trip home"

"You don't come up with culture, you look at what's there"

The importance of stories

Pat's business: There are 45 consultants all over the world. They are:

Maria Taylor is in her sixth season as a host analyst & reporter. In the fall of 2017 Taylor will enter a new role as co-host on ESPN's College Gameday and sideline reporter for ABC's Saturday Night Football.

Show Notes:

How to quickly build rapport with the people you interview?

Be prepared with a purpose, truly try to learn about them as a person (quickly), it's not just about their sport or their job. Care about them as a person

Being viewed as an athlete -- "It's helpful working in the sports world that they know I played sports"

"As an athlete I was always a perfectionist, I always over prepare." -- Maria sending her producers a copious amount of notes -- thoughts on situations/games/ideas

How to earn promotions quickly? "I never said no to anything. I was never too big for any game."

Maria did high school football games, ACC digital. She's traveled everywhere, stayed in bad hotels, etc.

"You have to be comfortable in the grind, you can't get discouraged."

"If I'm not doing something (work wise), I feel wrong."

Why Kirk Herbstreit is the best in the business -- "He's the most invested person I've ever seen. He's always the most prepared person."

Adnan Virk "Always show up." -- "They remember how you made them feel." Be conscious of that

Balance? It will never be perfectly balanced. Think of it as a stew - vegetable and beef... Certain bites are vegetables and other times it's beef. That's work-life balance. There are moments where it is all work, all day, every day. There are other times where you can relax at home. It's never a perfect 50 50 balance.

The story of Maria making the decision to be a sports broadcaster as a junior in college at Georgia... And then also earning her MBA as a backup plan!

She grew up loving sports. Her dad played college sports.

Maria was recruited to play both volleyball and basketball at Georgia.

Our mutual feeling about the structure of being "in season" and how the routine helped us get better grades.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Bill Curry is a two-time Super Bowl Champion. As an NCAA coach, Bill was named National Coach of the Year at Alabama and later became the first head football coach ever at Georgia State. As an ESPN commentator, he regularly shared his thoughts with a worldwide audience of millions. When Bill talks of discipline and success, his life experience is proof-positive of the effectiveness of his methods. Bill played for some of the greatest coaches of all time, including Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Bobby Dodd. His teammates included legendary players like Willie Davis, Bart Starr, and Johnny Unitas. Bill has studied the lives and methods of his personal heroes from past generations, ranging from Helen Keller and Rudyard Kipling to Theodore Roosevelt and Goethe. When Bill talks of leadership and success, his is a personal message molded by his extraordinary mentors and role models. He is also the best-selling author of TEN MEN YOU MEET IN THE HUDDLE: LESSONS FROM A FOOTBALL LIFE.

"Everyone has the will to win, but not everyone has the will to prepare."

Show Notes:

The 6 common characteristics of champions =

Show up - on time, be early, every time, be punctual, read to be your best

Singleness of purpose - Vince Lombardi, "his focus was powerful"

Unselfish - Bart Starr - "he literally gave the shirt off his back for others"

Tough - Don't make excuses, be great in the 4th quarter, never blame anyone else

Smart - Prepared, always last person off the field. Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry did this

Never quit - Never give up

FEAR? Prepare out of fear? - "There is some truth to that." "Everyone has the will to win, but not everyone has the will to prepare."

The Learning Leader Show - Annie Duke is a woman who has leveraged her expertise in the science of smart decision making to excel at pursuits as varied as championship poker to public speaking. For two decades, Annie was one of the top poker players in the world. In 2004, she bested a field of 234 players to win her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. The same year, she triumphed in the $2 million winner-take-all, invitation-only WSOP Tournament of Champions. In 2010, she won the prestigious NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded the National Science Foundation Fellowship. Because of this fellowship, she studied Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence =

Open-minded to people who disagree with them

They ask "Why am I wrong?"

Using "I don't know" or "I'm not sure" shows immense security in oneself. Great leaders do this.

The "half life of facts" should never be 100% certain -- "It does you a disservice in becoming more knowledgeable if you are certain you are right"

"Here's what I think, but I don't know..." --> We're trained from an early age that those are dirty words, but they shouldn't be. We're supposed to always know, but having that mentality limits what you can learn

Put systems in place to allow exploration of alternative strategies

Do a deeper dive, consider all reactions. This will help you prepare in case something goes wrong. You can put plans in place by acting in this manner

Why write Thinking In Bets? Annie has a unique background: cognitive psychology, professional poker, decision making under pressure. In poker: decision making is fast and furious (a hand of poker is 2 minutes)

"Learning occurs when you make a decision and have feedback"

The art of boosting academic research with stories and popular culture -- Seinfeld, The Super Bowl

Listen to the disagreement Annie and I have in regards to Pete Carroll's decision to throw a pass on the goal line at the end of The Super Bowl (around the 24:00 mark)

Most people are "resulting." They are not measuring the decision making process with all the facts, they just view the result. That is wrong.

Resulting - "Using the outcome as the sole determination if the decision was good or bad"

While Annie and I disagree, we both had an open mind to what each other had to say and considered the other person's point of view

A good approach in your business = Analyze the decision making process prior to knowing the result

Example: If a number of people are interviewing the same candidate (separately), the boss should wait to offer her opinion until the end. Her thoughts will skew the feedback she needs from her teamCommonalities of great CEO poker players = They don't think they're good at poker. They recognize they aren't as good as the pros and they work to put themselves in higher odd situations to "get lucky." (Listen around 45:00 to get the full context)

How to be a good head's up poker player? Recognize your strengths and weaknesses vs that particular opponent. If you deem they are better than you, then look for "coin flip" situations (example: Ace King vs a pair of 7's). If you are better than your opponent then avoid coin flips and extend the match. The longer the match, the better the odds for the better player to winThe importance of accountability:

How often does someone spout off without thinking? If you follow that up with, "You wanna bet?" How do they respond? They probably rethink what they've said. We should always "think in bets." Think of our decisions as being "bet worthy." If someone says, "You wanna bet?" We should be in the position to say yes. If we're not, then we need to rethink what comes out of our mouths and the decisions we are making.

"A bet is just a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out."

If we think in bets, it forces us to seek out as much information as possible prior to making a decision.

That is a good thing and will help us make better decisions

"A bet is a decision based on a belief that you think is how something will turn out."

Sustained Excellence = "They're over themselves" - They do not have an ego. They figure out the big truths, get over feelings, have clarity, vision. Great communicators - Like an athlete, they can be obsessed. Keenly aware, active listeners, intentional with actions.

Why write The Culture Code?

Spending time around great teams and businesses, "I love the vibe, it's different." Had a desire to understand how that happens. How to create trust"Typically we think of culture as in your DNA or not, but it's not. "Great culture is something you can learn"The competition with Dan's two brothers growing up led to this fascination and curiosity with building great team culture"We routinely deeply underestimate our environments and the effect they have on us."

Build Safety - Why do a group of kindergartners do better than a group of CEOs? The kindergartners have now agenda or care about credit. They focus on doing the best work. CEOs (in the study) were worried about who got credit and tearing each other down.

Safety is the single most important piece of foundation needed for great culture

Greg Popovich overdoes the "thank yous" - He regularly says thank you to the members of his team.

A painstaking hiring process - The single most important decision is "who's in and who's out."

You should script the entire first few days of a new employees time at a company -- Pixar example (20 minute mark) -- "At Pixar, we hired you because we need you to help us make our movies better."

John Wooden would routinely walk the locker room and pick up trash

Share Vulnerability - Functional notion that's so important

"Sharing a weakness is the best way to be strong" -- Navy SEALs example: The AAR (After Action Review)

The most important 4 words a leader can say, "Anybody have any ideas?"

Also, "I screwed up"

Over-communicate expectations

"We shoot, move, and communicate

"The only easy day was yesterday"

How to be a great listener

"Your goal as a listener should be to add energy." Ask questions, don't just sit there and nod. Listen and absorb. Help them leave higher than when you arrived. Follow up to go deeper. Being a great listener is a heroic skill.

Have "empathy and energy" as a listener -- dig in to assumptions (unearth)

Aim for candor, but avoid brutal honesty - good groups care about relationships, not brutality. Candor is a better word

"Culture: From the Latin word cultus, which means care."

Great teams are made up of players who don't want to let their teammates down.

Greg Popovich and other great coaches disappear on purpose to let their team figure out it through tough moments. Smart leaders create opportunities for teams to struggle and figure it out. --> "The leaders job is to make the team great without him/her."

Build a wall between performance review and professional development -- When you combine the two, you get neither. Toggle, create safety so you can be more open and honest.

Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! His latest release is The Steal Like An Artist Journal: A Notebook For Creative Kleptomaniacs. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. New York Magazine called his work “brilliant,” The Atlantic called him “positively one of the most interesting people on the Internet,” and The New Yorkersaid his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everybody else is declaring it dead.” He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. He grew up in Ohio, but now he lives in Austin, Texas.

"Reading is so essential to writing... I don't even think about it. I just always do it."

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence =

"I wrestle with jealously about others who do better work than me... Until I realize it's very rare to see someone who doesn't deserve it based on how hard they work."

The people who sustain excellence are typically the hardest workers over the long term

"If you want to do better, work harder."

Austin's ritual

Write a page a day like Stephen King

Little bits of work add up over time

When you do something you love, you're always working... It's an endless stream

"I try to be a good boss to myself" -- But there is no punching the clock in and out... It's always in

Steal Like An Artist

Wrote an article titled "10 things I wish I had known when starting out" -- That became the best-selling book

The blog post and speech that went with it went viral

The Creative Process

Daily writing... Eventually show the audience to test if it's useful for them

"It's like a factory"

Collect

Make time to write

Gather to longer piece to essay

Put it out to the world

Collect feedback (live audience sometimes)

A daily blog helps the book writing process

Collect, synthesize, make, share -- "Stealing & Sharing"

Reading is a massive part of the writing process... Must read a lot

"Reading is so essential to writing. I don't even think about it, I just do it."

"My job as an author is to point people to things people haven't seen"

"Being a leader... You have to be curious... You have to find great stories and examples." -- You must read a lot to do this

What advice do you give to others?

"You need hobbies... People used to have hobbies, not they have Netflix." Try to restore something, do work, have a hobby -- It will build creativity

The two desks

Analog desk -- pens, markers, paper, scissors... Make stuff

Digital desk -- computer

"Walking is an insanely creative activity"

Enjoying captivity -- Be useful on train rides, flights... No wifi

The open office plan is a nightmare for an introvert like Austin

"You want hearts, not eyeballs." -- Focus on engagement of your audience, not just the size of it.

"The number of people doesn't matter as much as the quality of the people who follow you."

"Becoming a friend of someone you look up to is one of the best things that could ever happen"

Creating great work gives you the opportunity to do this

"You want hearts, not eyeballs." -- Focus on engagement of your audience, not just the size of it.

Todd Henry is the founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. He regularly speaks and consults with companies about how to develop practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of four books (The Accidental Creative, Louder Than Words, Die Empty, Herding Tigers), speaks internationally on productivity, creativity, leadership and passion for work, and build tools for creative people and teams. In short, he's an arms dealer for the creative revolution. His latest book is called Herding Tigers: Leading talented, creative people requires a different skill set than the one many management books offer. As a consultant to creative companies, Todd Henry knows firsthand what prevents creative leaders from guiding their teams to success, and in Herding Tigers he provides a bold new blueprint to help you be the leader your team needs. Learn to lead by influence instead of control. Discover how to create a stable culture that empowers your team to take bold creative risks. And learn how to fight to protect the time, energy, and resources they need to do their best work.

"Great leaders have great rituals. Great leaders are connected. Great leaders have set questions they ask when they meet someone for the first time."

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence =

Great leaders have great rituals

Disciplined time to study/reflect

Well read

Go on walks

Great leaders are connected to their network

Great leaders have set questions they ask someone when they meet for the first time

Todd's rituals

Same breakfast everyday, same coffee mug everyday

1 hour of study/read/time to think

Writes morning pages (3 full pages long hand)

Creating space for yourself

Predictable space, a buffer - "I have a ritual of taking a long walk in the middle of my day" -- "It helps me get lost in thought"

Set questions to ask when you meet someone

"What's the most important thing I should know about you?"

What's inspiring you right now?"

Cover bands don't change the world

Go out and present YOUR ideas to the market place

"If you want to have a voice in the market place, you have to have a voice" -- You can't just regurgitate what others say: Take what you learn, synthesize it with your own thoughts and have a voice, a point of view

"Your synthesis is what is valuable"

Writing The Accidental Creative was hard and lonely

Leading Creatives - We assume they get it... No, you must be clear that they do. Walk them through your thought process, what you expect, why you expect it

Brian Koppelman (Creator of Billions) - Leading with influence vs being a micro-manager. The director must own the show... They must have a compelling vision, point of view. Koppelman must create the space to give the director of each episode that ownership (he owns it all)

Creative people need two things

Stability - Protect them, give them the space they need, be clear

Challenge - Cannot allow boredom

These two exist is constant tension, push/pull. You have to know how/when/why to turn the dial on each

"Your entire career, up until you're a manager, you have complete control -- As a manager you must shift from control to influence (it's hard) or the team cannot scale beyond you

Your team must understand the WHY behind what you do -- If not they just inherit tactics but don't know why they do it. It can't scale without knowing the WHY

Need to make certain creative people feel ownership of the work

Influence is about principle

Why is implementation and execution so hard?

Leaders struggle with insecurity

"Your area of greatest insecurity can inflict the most damage to your organization... It's about ego more than confidence"

Why write Herding Tigers?

"I wrote the book I wish I had... A lot of people don't have the model of what great leadership is"

Daniel Pink is the author of six provocative books — including his newest, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, to be published in January 2018. His other books include the long-running New York Times bestseller A Whole New Mind and the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into 37 languages. If you'd like to listen to the first time Dan joined me on The Learning Leader Show, CLICK HERE.

Dan's TED Talk on the science of motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED Talks of all time, with more than 19 million views. His RSA Animate video about the ideas in his book, Drive, has collected more than 14 million views.(from DanPink.com) (Photo Credit - HOW Design)

The Learning Leader Show

"It's like brick laying. I show up every day and I hit my word (count) goal. Day after day after day. Every day."

Show Notes:

Dan's book writing process:

"It's like 1930's football... One short play at a time."

Brick laying, very laborious...

Get in office by 8:30 and hit the writing (word count) goal every single day... Day after day after day after day...

Write 700 words a day, every da

"I show up and hit my number, every single day"

Combining research with interesting stories -- work in chunks, have research in a Word doc, and the book in a separate doc. Review, go back and forth

As a writer, you must pick a topic you are VERY interested in... You spend years on the project (research, writing, speeches)

"I wrote this book because I wanted to read it"

How to know if an idea is worth exploring?

"You don't... But when you share it with others, does it create curiosity in them? Do they ask follow up questions? If they do, you may be on to something"

The 3 stages of our days

Peak - Analytical work, smart

Trough - The afternoon "Bermuda Triangle" -- A bad time to make decisions

Recovery - A creative time

Why lunch is the most important meal of the day -- This is a time where you need to leave what you're doing, go outside, go with a friend, disconnect from work, don't look at your phone, need to recharge

Breaks are enormously important - Social breaks (with friends) are better than solo breaks

Napping for 20 minutes in the afternoon is very helpful

Drink a cup of coffee, set you iPhone for an alarm to go off in 23 minutes, lay down with an eye mask. If you fall asleep in 5 minutes, you get an 18 minute nap, and you wake up and the caffeine starts to kick in

Why NBA players who get more "touches" have more success than others... Scientific evidence supports this

The importance of endings... How we end things:

Energize - More 29, 39, 49 year olds run marathons than any other age. People want to end on a high note

Encode - Evaluate and record experiences - How something ends is very important. Look at Yelp reviews -- People remember the experience for how a meal ended more than anything else

Elevate - People prefer rising sequences. Dan's favorite tip: When sharing good news and bad news, always START with the bad news, and end with the good news

We are very intentional about who, what, why... why aren't we intentional about WHEN? We should be...

"We are very intentional about who, what, and why. We aren't intentional about WHEN. We should be."

Neil Pasricha is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Happiness Equation and The Book of Awesome series, which has been published in ten countries, spent over five years on bestseller lists, and sold over a million copies. Neil is a Harvard MBA, one of the most popular TED speakers of all time, and after ten years heading Leadership Development at Walmart he now serves as Director of The Institute for Global Happiness. He has dedicated the past fifteen years of his life to developing leaders, creating global programs inside the world’s largest companies and speaking to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe.

Episode 237: AJ Jacobs - The Power of Irrational Confidence (Life As An Experiment)

A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. He is also editor at large at Esquire magazine, a commentator on NPR and a columnist for Mental Floss magazine. He is currently helping to build a family tree of the entire world and holding the biggest family reunion ever in 2015.

In addition to his books, Jacobs written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and New York magazine.

He has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, Conan and The Colbert Report. He has given several TED talks, including onesabout living biblically, creating a one-world family,and living healthily.

"It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting."

"It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting."

Great curiosity -- "I'm curious about everything... Even things that don't interest me."

Why he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica

Why the "good ole days" actually sucked -- Studying this made him very grateful for being alive today

The practice of radical honesty and how it got him in trouble -- He was forced to tell the full truth at all times

Can be good or bad

Gratitude -- Common among the greatest achievers -- be thankful for everything. "When you're grateful for something as small as the elevator door opening, you're much happier."

It's All Relative -- Building a world family true. How we are related. How he is related to President Barack Obama...

It helps with perspective and tolerance... We're more tolerant of people we are related to

The Global Family Reunion event

Why his experiments drive his wife crazy -- The year of living biblically -- Why it was so hard to follow the exact words of the Bible

Harvard studies -- If we share DNA, people are more open to help one another

Why we need to get out of the echo chamber

Typical day -- stretch, treadmill desk, write and walk at the same time, walking keeps him alert

Importance of "walks with wife" -- raises serotonin

Batching activities -- Phone calls

It's lonely as a writer... AJ needs to speak with other creatives often: "I need to bounce ideas of of others in between the alone time"

Doing "Skype" lunches. He eats lunch with friends over Skype

Best advice he's heard: From George Clooney -- "When I get up to bat, I don't think Am I going to hit a home run? I think, where will I hit this home run?" -- The importance of irrational confidence. Delusional optimism is helpful.

Stage presence (when speaking) -- Why you "owe it to the audience" to think "you're the baddest dude on the planet" and will deliver for THEM

"When I got up to bat, I didn't think, "Am I going to hit a home run?" I thought, "Where will this home run go?" -- George Clooney on the importance of self confidence

Episode 236: Brian Scudamore - CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK: How To Scale A Business

Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, and later went on to franchise 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a way to expand operations. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has 1000 trucks on the road throughout some 180 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia.

Brian has received wide recognition in the media and business community. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has celebrated appearances on the highly-acclaimed Undercover Boss Canada, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, CNN, ABC Nightline, the Today Show, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, and the View. His story has been told in Fortune Magazine, Business Week, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Wall Street Journal, to name a few. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is currently the starring junk removal attraction on the hit A&E reality show, Hoarders.

Brian has brought his entrepreneurial success story to many conference stages, including the Fortune Small Business Magazine’s national conference. A strong believer in personal and professional development, Brian graduated from MIT's four-year Birthing of Giants program, and has subsequently completed several years of MIT’s BOG’s alumni program, Gathering of Titans. He is also a participant in a nine-year executive education program at Harvard University through YPO Presidents’ University. (from 1800gotjunk.com)

The Learning Leader Show

"I don't know if you can live the full potential if it's a side hustle. You need to give maximum effort."

Show Notes:

Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:

Focus - All in, not a side hustle

Faith - Belief in self, clear vision

Effort - Discipline

Why we all need an "MBA" -- A "Mentor Board of Advisors"

Fred DeLuca -- Subway founder - He never took his eye off the prize. He struggled and kept going. 32 stores in 12 years.

Are entrepreneurs born or made?

Brian started a carwash as a kid. He sold candy in his dorm room

Creativity as a Dad -- Always build things with your kids and watch them grow together (ie. a garden)

Why did he start 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Needed money for college... Initially called it "The Rubbish Boys"

Brian learned more about running a business from actually doing it than he did in school

The amazing story of Brian's dad "falling out of his chair" when he told me he was leaving school to run the business full time

"It couldn't be a side hustle." The need for maximum effort to be successful

How Brian views opportunities

And where he thinks of new ideas to create more businesses

The importance of going on walks

Meeting outdoors in Vancouver -- "Get your muscles moving"

Morning routine -- Get up at 5:55

Power hour

Focus on self

Exercise

Study French, Italian (other languages)

Spend moments learning before the kids wake up

Side hustle -- "I don't know if you can live the full potential if it's a side hustle. You need to give it full effort. Imagine the possibility if they quit their job"

Philosophy on sales? Mentor Jack Daly -- "Ask questions and listen"

How he got his first 100 customers

"I have the best job in the world for me"

Brian's hiring process

Why he fired his entire team of 11 at one point -- They didn't have the right attitude

"Everyone must pass the beer and bbq test" -- "You have to want to have a beer and eat bbq with them"

"I want friendly, ambitious, passionate, optimistic people."

"Hire for attitude, train for skill"

Brian is the "culture" interviewer

Cameron Herold -- Best man in his wedding, previous business partner. Brian shares why he had to fire him. "You cannot have 2 "fire, ready, aim" type of people."

The process of making mistakes on his path to hiring the right team

The need for Erik Church as the COO -- He is an executor. They are a great yin and yang

Take a sheet of paper and write down what you enjoy doing and what you're good at. Also write what you don't like doing and you're bad it. Find the person to fill those gaps. Erik does that for Brian

Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., has been a leader in the fields of relationship transformation and bodymind therapies for more than 45 years. After earning his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Stanford, Gay served as professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Colorado for 21 years. He has written more than 40 books, including bestsellers such as Five Wishes, The Big Leap and Conscious Loving (co-authored with his co-author and mate for more than 35 years, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks), both used as a primary text in universities around the world. In 2003, Gay co-founded The Spiritual Cinema Circle,which distributes inspirational movies and conscious entertainment to subscribers in 70+ countries.

Gay has offered seminars worldwide and appeared on more than 500 radio and television shows, including OPRAH, CNN, CNBC, 48 HOURS and others. In addition to his work with The Hendricks Institute, Gay is currently continuing his new mystery series that began with The First Rule Of Ten

The makeup of insecure people who won't learn = Fear. A bug --> You poke it, it curls towards the center. They are scared. We have the same nervous system from many years ago

Must acknowledge the fears -- "Don't try to out argue them or "out-facts" them"

"Speak to your shared fears" when scared

The 4 things we do when scared:

Fight

Runaway

Freeze

Space out

Fear tries to take us out of the moment

His story of going on the Oprah show -- "Being on Oprah was like having 10 shots of espresso"

What is the upper limit problem? A point in success/happiness -- if you go past the point of it, you do something to knock yourself down. Fears keep people locked in certain zones

The 4 Operating Zones

Zone of incompetence

Zone of competence

Zone of excellence

Zone of Genius

Most love to do? "Living full time in the zone of genius"

Why you should start with "10 minutes of what you most love to do" -- Then continually bump that time up

Making the leap -- Freedom, pressure. Stand up, walk your talk. So rewarding, but can you make money?

"The money became an effortless byproduct of doing what I love"

Walk quietly and with passion... Auspicious things happen

Life rewards expression of true genius

Early 90's, Gay spent 30% of time in his genius zone, then 50%, then 70%, now 90% of time is spent in his zone of genius

His zone of genius? "Be a model of creativity. Explain complicated things in a simple way."

Oprah called it "Learning to love yourself"

Creativity - Conscious loving ever after -- How to access more creativity? Every day after 50 is a choice between creativity and stagnation. Move, play, create new ideas. At age 65, Gay started lifting weights. Must keep moving your body

He wrote his first mystery novel at age 65 (Wow!)

He just sold the mystery series to Netflix to turn it into a television series

Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold almost three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. Fast Company named Gretchen Rubin to its list of Most Creative People in Business, and she’s a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100.

She’s been interviewed by Oprah, eaten dinner with Daniel Kahneman, and walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama.

Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

The Learning Leader Show

"What do I want from my life? I want to be happy. How can I be happier?"

Show Notes:

Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:

They are self aware

They are happy and healthy and figured themselves out

Better Than Before -- How to create great habits

"I can't have a little. I either have none or a lot." -- Needed to abstain from things like that (sugar)

Think -- "What do I want from my life?" "I want to be happy..." She then went to the library to study. Did a deep dive on happiness

What are the keys to happiness?

Every month (for a year), she created a theme for the month: 3-5 concrete resolutions she could measure to make herself happier

"Here's the issue:If you're going to pursue a low odds game, the reality is that at some point the odds will go to zero if you don't commit fully. You're never going to get across that chasm if you're going to keep yourself tethered to one side but that doesn't mean taking an unfounded leap into the wild beyond." Jim Collins gave me that advice on Episode #216 here On The Learning Leader Show. I've fired a lot of bullets over the past three years building this show and this platform while working a full time job at a big international corporation. The purpose of this episode is to announce that I have left my full time job to pursue my passion... My love: This show, this platform, this work, on a full time basis. It's time for me to go All In.

The featured leaders tonight are two of my business partners (and friends), Doug Meyer and Greg Meredith. Doug Meyer is one of the founding partners of Brixey & Meyer. In his role as Managing Director, Doug serves as a trusted business advisor to Business Owners, CEOs, CFOs and Boards of Advisors, driving value and accountability. Greg Meredith runs Brixey & Meyer’s Business Advisory Services team, which helps clients with strategic planning, project management, sales strategy, business process and system optimization and more. I am bringing The Learning Leader brand to Brixey & Meyer full time to run the Leadership Advisory Services team. In addition to the podcast, I'll be focused on helping clients be more effective leaders, managers, and coaches. This is done through: consulting projects, 1 on 1 coaching, leadership circles (Mastermind groups), creating written content (book and articles online), and much more. I could not be more excited to get started!

"Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now." - Naval Ravikant

Show Notes:

3:06 - My career, what I've done, why I haven't named the companies I've worked for, who has supported this, who hasn't.

5:05 - Why I'm making this move to do it full time, the first lunch I had with Doug, the impact that lunch had on me, how long this has been in the works, advice that was given to me... The phone call I made to my wife Miranda after that meeting informing her of what I wanted to do...

6:40 - The exercise that Doug and I did -- "Write down everything you love to do... And write down the things people have paid for. Let's build the business based on that information." -- The dream job scenario

8:03 Doug sharing why Brixey & Meyer is different from other firms and why... - The values: Having fun, providing value, passionate, driver of change, accountability, responsibility to the people of the firm

12:07 - How Brixey & Meyer evolves and adapts -- Taking it to another level

13:02 - Why I decided to leave my job as VP of Sales at a large international company

14:09 - Finding a way to love what you do everyday

14:44 - “Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.” - Naval Ravikant

16:24 - The scary part about making this change -- Side hustle to full time job creates a lot of pressure

16:56 - The incredible support from all of the people at Brixey & Meyer

17:47 - Why I'm motivated by people who believe in me... And my desire to prove them right

18:52 - "You're work is going to fill a large part of your life... And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs

19:34 - The biggest challenge for Doug (managing my expectations)

20:25 - Doug describing that this was an opportunistic hire... Not something they were looking for, but why it was a no brainer when the opportunity arose

51:47 - The story Doug shared that created an emotional and powerful moment... And convinced me to say, "Yes, I am doing this, I want to work with a guy with this much integrity, honesty, and love."

55:28 - Doug's excitement to unleash the potential for what we can do

56:45 - Acknowledging how instrumental Greg has been in the growth of The Learning Leader brand over the last three years. His honest feedback and mentor-ship has been monumental

58:28 - One of my favorite artists, Tom Petty said "It's time to move on, it's time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing... But under my feet, baby, grass is growing, it's time to move on, it's time to get going."

"You're work is going to fill a large part of your life... And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs

Michael is the Senior Partner at Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less good work and more great work.

He’s the author of several books, including The Coaching Habit and Do More Great Work. Michael has written for or been featured in numerous publications including Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, The Globe & Mail and The Huffington Post. Michael left Australia 25 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He was the first Canadian Coach of the Year.

At Box of Crayons, Michael and his team of facilitators teach 10-minute coaching so busy managers build stronger teams and get better results. Clients come from all sectors and include Box, the United Nations, Gartner, the University Health Network and USAA. A sought-after speaker, Michael regularly speaks to businesses and organizations and has delivered keynotes at Leadership, HR and Learning & Development, conferences around the world.

The Learning Leader Show

"If you can't coach in 10 minutes or less then you don't have the time to coach at all"

Show Notes:

Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:

"They probably haven't sustained it. It's really hard."

Role Models -- They succeed AND they fail. "You can't hit it out of the park every time"

Some times you do it all right and you still fail

Resilience and persistence are commonalities among people who have success

Michael's list of failures "is long"

The incredible story of how Michael was initially rejected as a Rhodes Scholar... And then how he persevered to earn it (the story about how he differentiated himself from the others is fantastic)

Create multiple streams of income -- However, don't try to create them all at once. Patience. 1 or 2 at a time.

A steady progression. Add 1 or 2 per year.

Dorie has 8 income streams.

"If you're relying on one paycheck, from one employer, you may be courting disaster."

Dorie was laid off on September 10, 2001 -- She received a 4 day severance package... A highly stressful time. "Never be reliant on just one employer"

"Side hustles make you a better employee, it liberates you." -- "You can speak truth to power"

Dorie's 8 Streams of Revenue:

Consulting

Executive Coaching

Writing Books

Teaching at Duke

Keynote Speeches

Online Courses

Affiliate Marketing

Mastermind Groups

Dorie's online course "Become A Recognized Expert"

Create the content

Social Proof -- Credibility

Strong network -- To be recognize, need to be an expert and have others share the message

We discussed the goals Dorie set from her first time on the show (2 years ago):

Double email list

Have a best selling book

Get a girlfriend

The importance of joint ventures

Why Dorie wants to become an Italian citizen

"The thing that gives you courage is the market rate" -- "No one is a competitor"

"When someone asks you your fee, find the number that makes you scared and then add 10%"

Doing TEDx Switzerland

How to build online courses:

Surveyed audience -- 1,200 responses

Pilot course at discounted rate ($500)

Final course ($2,000) -- Premium content, premium price

Total cost -- $1,200 (had 150 students paid in full)

Video module type courses are lower cost and not as much engagement

The $2,000 course has regular follow up and conversations with Dorie in addition to the video work. Interaction with others in a Facebook group chat as well. -- It has 40+ hours of content created for it... And webinars

Dorie Clark is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is the author of Entrepreneurial You (Harvard Business Review Press,), Reinventing You, and Stand Out, whichwas named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 10 Business Books of the Year by Forbes. It was also a Washington Post bestseller.

Clark, whom the New York Times described as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives,” consults and speaks for a diverse range of clients, including Google, the World Bank, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Yale University. At age 14, Clark entered Mary Baldwin College’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. At 18, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, and two years later received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.

Renee Mauborgne is the co-author of the global bestseller Blue Ocean Strategy and the just released, indispensable follow-up, BLUE OCEAN SHIFT: Beyond Competing – Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth. BLUE OCEAN SHIFT is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, and an International Bestseller. Her book Blue Ocean Strategy has sold over 3.6 million copies and is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written. It is being published in a record-breaking 44 languages and is a bestseller across five continents.

She served on President Barack Obama’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the President’s two terms. She is also a Fellow of the World Economic Forum. Renee is ranked in the top 3 management gurus in the world in the Thinkers50 listing of the World’s Top Management Gurus. She is the highest placed woman ever on Thinkers50.

"If you're going to look at other people, you're going to look like other people."

Show Notes:

Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:

Not focused on competing with others

They create their own space, independent point of view

Always interested in learning. Focused on pieces of information

Insatiable curiosity, high level learner, a note taker

Enormous propensity for hard work

Smart people don't look for short cuts

Willing to reinvent self if needed

How to not compare yourself to others?

"Focus on delivering a leap in value -- they will come to you."

"I don't look at social media. I look at how creative people are."

"We are all far more creative than we think we are"

"If you're going to look at other people, you're going to look like other people"

Jeff Goins is a writer, keynote speaker, and award-winning blogger with a reputation for challenging the status quo. He is the best-selling author of five books, including Real Artists Don't Starve, and The Art of Work, which landed on the best­ seller lists of USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Washington Post. His website Goinswriter.com is visited by millions of people every year. Jeff was previously on The Learning Leader Show Episode #028

The Learning Leader Show

What does it take to stand out? "Show UP, Do the Work, and most importantly: FOLLOW UP. Nobody does this."

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:

Passion - A fire to pursue their "why"

Discipline - Daily habits, routines, rituals to be best every day

Coach K -- Sit down and analyze after every single game to improve

Great Learners - Hungry learner. How to do it better?

Real Artists don't starve

Starving artist vs. Thriving artist

The myth of the starving artist

Why Michelangelo was a thriving (rich) artist

"Do you really have to starve to be an artist?" -- No

You aren't born an artist (or a Leader) -- It's a result of the choices you make. The human brain is malleable. A person can learn and master a craft.

"Leaders are made. Artists are made."

The story of John Grisham -- A lawyer who wrote novels on the side.

He wrote one page a day for years... And then he had a novel

You can gradually re-create yourself

Wake up a little earlier every day and do the work. Make it a habit

Change happens slowly

The way we talk about it is not actually the way we do it.

We do not need to take a giant risk. When we look at the facts, we can take measured risks

2 Resources at The University of Wisconsin -- A study of 5,000 entrepreneurs

The Two Types

Burn The Boats -- 33% more likely to fail

Side Hustlers -- People who didn't initially go "All In" statistically were more likely to succeed

It took Jeff two years to quit his job. He built one year of runway

The rule of apprenticeship -- Ryan Holiday - Be an Anteambulo. Clear the path for others

A "master piece" came from the time of Michaelangelo

What it takes to stand out -- Show up, do the work, FOLLOW UP (nobody does this), show what you've learned, help others

Jeff has lunch every Wednesday with a mentee -- Rarely do they follow up. Do this.

"The best thing you can do is take notes, and follow up. Put it into action."

Jeff was/is mentored by Michael Hyatt -- He followed up constantly

How do you do X? "It's easy to talk about stuff, it's hard to do it."

"If you're teachable, it puts you in a class of people that sits apart."

Do not work for free -- The rule of value

Charging brings dignity to the work

"Working for free is often not the opportunity we think it is"

"Leaders are made. Artists are made." -- "You aren't born an artists."

Steve Wojciechowski is the head basketball coach at Marquette University. He has has enjoyed a wealth of success in collegiate basketball as both a player and a coach. Wojo has established his “Win Every Day” philosophy as the foundation for the Marquette program. Wojciechowski also served as court coach and scout for the USA Basketball Men's National Team. He helped lead on-court duties as well as game preparation from 2006-12, including the program's gold-medal performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. The Olympic teams included NBA greats such as Marquette alumnus Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

As a player, Wojciechowski ("Wojo") was named the top defensive player in the country his senior year, a two-time All-ACC choice and honorable mention Associated Press All-America. He appeared in 128 career games for the Blue Devils and earned 88 starting assignments.

The Learning Leader Show

"My greatest edge was that I didn't think I had an edge."

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:

Passion - A fire to pursue their "why"

Discipline - Daily habits, routines, rituals to be best every day

Coach K -- Sit down and analyze after every single game to improve

Great Learners - Hungry learner. How to do it better?

WIN Everyday - daily process to pursue excellence in every way. Basketball is a vehicle for that (for Steve)

Develop trust - "Not always done quickly, but definitely done intentionally. Must be consistent, you must do what you say you will do"

Wojo's Dad's hard hat -- It's hanging up at his house as a reminder of what hard work looks like

"The first great team I was on was the Wojciechowski team. My dad was a longshoreman. Did hard work and hard labor."

Why it was important to be teamed with Russians and other international players who didn't speak English at a high school all star camp

Coach Krzyzewski (Coach K)'s reason for excellence:

Ability to build relationships with players as people

Incredible communication skills

Intentionally taking time to build relationships

Preparation - Disciplined preparation

Habits, routines

"His preparation on a daily basis is championship level"

How has Coach K showed Level 5 leadership to help his assistant coaches be great when they earn their own head coaching job?

"He allows coaches to take ownership - He pushed them and allowed them to have a voice. On the job learning"

Culture

Start with your value system: What do you believe in? How do you build it?

Wojo's Stated Values:

Pursuing excellence - WIN every day

Being Selfless

Being Accountable - "Do what you say you're going to do"

Being Relentlessly competitive

Discipline - Do what need to do at the time it needs to be done

How is it coaching millennials?

There is a lot of noise. Continuous feedback loop. Need to be constantly engaged. But kids still want the same things... They want to grow, want discipline, be part of something special... Something bigger than them

How to communicate with young people?

Social media: Must use it, need to be there

Spend most time face to face with them

Typical day?

Be intentional about how allocate time

Plan ahead -- Must cover what's most important. Must prioritize

Control own energy - Track sleep and work out daily

Set weekly goals (write them down) for face to face interactions, time to learn/read/podcast listening, time with family/friends. Carry a book to help keep track

"Sometimes I fail, sometimes I crush it"

Read The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

Read Legacy

Learning Leader - I was first turned on to the show because of the title.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant - "Their ability to learn was what I was impressed with most about them. LeBron remembered everything you said."

"How"Their ability to learn was what I was impressed with most. LeBron remembered everything you said." -- Wojo discussing his time coaching Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant

Dan Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports social entrepreneurs. At CASE, he founded the Change Academy, a program designed to boost the impact of social sector leaders.

Dan is the co-author, along with his brother Chip, of three New York Times bestsellers: Decisive, Switch, and Made to Stick. Amazon.com’s editors named Switch one of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, and it spent 47 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. Made to Stick was named the Best Business Book of the Year and spent 24 months on the BusinessWeek bestseller list. Their books have been translated into over 30 languages.

Previously, Dan worked as a researcher and case writer for Harvard Business School. In 1997, Dan co-founded an innovative publishing company called Thinkwell, which continues to produce a radically reinvented line of college textbooks.

Dan has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin. One proud geeky moment for Dan was his victory in the 2005 New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest, beating out 13,000 other entrants. He lives in Durham, NC.

What have you failed at this week?" "There's no such thing as a good mentor who doesn't push you."

Show Notes:

Sustained Excellence. Common Themes of Leaders who Sustain Excellence:

Decision making - The ability to make a string of good decisions

Avoid traps

Narrow framing -- Cannot just think of 1 option

Decisions are often made because of political reasons, persuasive people, or PowerPoint... They should be made through experiments instead

The process of writing with his brother Chip Heath

10 year age gap (54-44)

They are different people. The work is the glue for their relationship

Chip is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business

The life changing effect of their book Switch. They hit the jackpot --> Time magazine, The Today Show

What is it that allows change to happen?

Our brains are wired with two independent systems:

Rational

Emotional

What makes change difficult is when those 2 disagree... The same forces are at place within organizations. The heart of Switch -- The emotional side is stronger than the rational side. We must get that in order to change.

How do we make an experience better? -- We must take the reins to make a moment better

The John Deere new hire experience -- You leave your first day thinking "Wow, I belong here." They intentionally take care of their people.

Transition moments are so important. We need to pay attention to them and be aware. --> Graduation, weddings, retirement, first day at a new job, etc

"Cultures pay attention to big moments"

Sara Blakely story growing up... The question her Dad asked her and her siblings at the dinner table -- "What have you failed at this week?"

We need to get comfortable with trying new things... And failing sometimes. It builds resilience, GRIT

David Scott Yaeger 2 part formula for mentors and mentees

High Standards + Assurance -- "I have high expectations for you... And I know you can do it."

"There's no such thing as a good mentor who doesn't push you." -- STRETCH

The powerful story of Eugene O'Kelly and how he chose to live his life when he found out he had 3 months left to live

"I experienced more Perfect moments and Perfect days in two weeks than I had in the last 5 years or than I probably would have in the next 5 years had my life continued without the diagnosis."

Look at your own calendar, do you see perfect days ahead? Could you create 30 perfect days? What would it take to motivate you to create a Perfect Moment?

"How Look at your own calendar, do you see perfect days ahead? Could you create 30 perfect days? What would it take to motivate you to create a Perfect Moment?"

The Learning Leader Show is supported by Callaway Golf. We have partnered to give away The #1 selling Driver in 2017. The Callaway GBB Epic Driver. This club is valued at $499 and we are giving one away to a loyal listener of the show. To enter the drawing: Tweet (or post on Instagram) a favorite leadership quote from an episode of The Learning Leader Show and tag/@ me on Twitter or Instagram.